Protect PDF
Lock a document with AES-256, the current standard.
or drop it here
Nothing is uploaded. Your file never leaves this tab.
What PDF encryption is
Encrypting a document’s contents so it cannot be opened without a password. The cipher matters: AES-256 is what ISO 32000-2 specifies and what current readers expect, while RC4 — which older tools still emit — has been considered broken for years.
What this tool does that others do not
AES-256, and nothing older
Anything produced here opens in current Acrobat, Preview, Chrome and Firefox. RC4 is not offered as a compatibility option, because a tool quietly using it would be giving false assurance.
The password never leaves the tab
Encryption happens in your browser, so nothing transmits and nothing is stored. That has one consequence worth stating plainly: there is no recovery, by us or by anyone. A protected PDF whose password is lost is lost.
Permissions described honestly
Permission flags for printing and copying exist in the format and are set alongside the password, but they are advisory — readers are supposed to honour them and many do not. Treat the password as the real protection and the permissions as a polite request.
How to use it
Store the password somewhere first
Before you encrypt, not after. There is no reset route and no support route.
Set the password and apply
The document is encrypted in the tab; the network panel will show no request.
Open the result before you send it
Ten seconds of verification against a lifetime of no recovery.
Worked example
Real input, real figures.
Sending a document that must not be readable in transit
You give it
A contract, encrypted with a password shared over a separate channel.
You get
AES-256 per ISO 32000-2, applied locally. The password is never transmitted to this site, which is the whole design — and also why nobody here can help if it is lost.
Against an online protect service
| Aspect | This tool | An uploading service |
|---|---|---|
| Cipher | AES-256 per ISO 32000-2 | Varies; some still RC4 |
| Where the password is used | Your browser | Their server |
| Document retention | Never received | Held for 1–2 hours |
| Recovery | None, and stated up front | None, rarely stated |
Guide
AES-256, and nobody holds a copy of your password
The document is encrypted with AES-256, the cipher specified in ISO 32000-2 and the one current readers expect. Older tools still produce RC4-encrypted PDFs, which has been considered broken for years and is refused here.
The password is used in your browser and is never transmitted. That is the whole design, and it has one consequence worth stating plainly: there is no recovery. Not by us, not by anyone. A protected PDF whose password is lost is lost.
Questions people ask
Straight answers. Each one links directly: copy the address after opening it.
What encryption is used?
AES-256, per ISO 32000-2. Anything produced here will open in current Acrobat, Preview, Chrome and Firefox. RC4, which some older tools still default to, is not offered — it has been considered broken for a long time and a tool that quietly used it would be giving false assurance.
Can you recover my password if I lose it?
No. The password never reaches us, which is the point of doing this in your browser. There is no reset, no backdoor and no support route. Store it somewhere before you close the tab.
Does this stop someone printing or copying?
Permissions flags exist in the PDF format and are set alongside the password, but they are advisory — readers are supposed to honour them and many do not. Treat the password as the real protection and the permissions as a polite request.
Nothing leaves your device
Your file is read into this tab and worked on there. It is never uploaded, which is why there is no queue, no daily limit and no account, and why the tool still works with the network switched off.
All 15 PDF tools, and what we do not build